When You Should Arrive in Hilo

All new international students should plan on arriving in Hilo on January 5. If you will be staying at an apartment or house off-campus, make arrangements to move in by January 5. Make sure your final destination is the Hilo airport (airport code ITO). Hilo is about a 45-minute flight from Honolulu, the capital city of the State of Hawai’i. The airlines that fly in to the Hilo airport are Hawaiian Airlines and United Airlines. Do not fly in to the Kona airport, since that is about a 2-hour drive from Hilo. Students on F-1 or J-1 visas cannot arrive in the United States more than 30 days before their program begins. The required orientation meeting for new international students will be held on January 6 so it is important that you arrive in Hilo at least one day before the meeting.